Naruto and Sakura Song Drabbles
by NaruDeeds
Summary: A series of NaruSaku drabbles inspired by various songs that I find myself listening to. Our newest update was drawn from Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man."
1. Madness

Well hello! I live and bring you something new! Skip to the end in the footer if you want to know what the heck is going on with my stories!_**  
**_

This is a new series of stories that will be a collection of drabbles inspired by songs. I have no idea how often or when I'll update it, but sometimes when listening to a song, an idea pops into my head that wants to be written. Those ideas will be written and posted here! Please note that these aren't exactly song fics as I won't be directly posting the lyrics in the story, nor will I be directly mentioning the band or the song itself in the story. Anywho, let's get on with this thing!

This first one is inspired by a new single from Muse titled "Madness" from their upcoming album. If you haven't given it a listen, I recommend doing so (maybe while reading this story!)

Well, onwards. I don't own Naruto or else I would be filthy stinking rich and I would have a Muse concert live in my office at least once a week.

* * *

_**Madness**_

A girl with pale, pink hair and dull emerald eyes stood at a small and humble looking unmarked grave. Her posture was filled with regret and sorrow seemed to emanate from her very core. One would hardly believe that this girl was the Sakura Haruno, prized apprentice of the Hokage. Her dull eyes stared at the unmarked grave, seemingly staring through the grave and staring straight into whatever thoughts were plaguing her mind.

_"I hate people who lie to themselves!" _

Try as she might, Sakura could not stop herself from revisiting memories that she really didn't want to think about. The memories of her past madness were stuck there in her mind, unwilling to leave, unwilling to go.

Each of these memories involved him, and it frustrated her, because she had better memories with him to focus on than these. That day that everything changed was what triggered these memories. They had started off as sparse reminders of the mistakes she had made, but quickly evolved into something more terrifying. They didn't just remind of her mistakes, they reminded her of her missed opportunities, they reminded her of her failures.

When she first realized what her memories were doing to her, she tried with everything she had to let him go. It was her only option if she was going to survive. But she couldn't do it. They had never found his body, how could she possibly let him go? There were several eye witnesses who saw him die in the fiery explosion that ended the war. Her friends had spent countless hours trying to calmly explain to Sakura that there was no body because it disintegrated in the flames, that no body, not even his, was built to last through that.

So she couldn't let him go, and thus, couldn't escape memories of her madness. And so as the years passed, the madness of her memories plagued her and began to swallow her whole. Slowly, piece by piece, what made Sakura herself began to disappear under the weight of guilt and regret from her past madness.

_"Sakura-chan, wanna go on a date with me?"_

"I wish you were here... Naruto." Sakura whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. It had been four years since that horrible day, that would go down in history book's as the shinobi's greatest victory. But to Sakura, there was no victory that day. There was only a horrible loss.

So while the history books would record that day as the day the Shinobi Alliance banded together to stop Tobi once and for all; Sakura would only remember it as the day she lost the man she had finally realized she loved... without being to tell him that.

_"What I'm saying Naruto... is that I love you."_ Sakura squeezed her eyes shut as the memory of _that_ particular madness again sprang to mind. She had been trying to protect him, but she only ended up hurting him more.

However, before that day when everything changed, this particular memory of her madness wasn't a bad one for her. Because to Sakura, it had set things in motion. After she told Naruto she loved him in an effort to keep him from having to deal with Sasuke, she found herself reflecting more and more on the idea.

She hadn't seen much of him after they returned from the Land of Iron, but her admiration for him grew each and every day. Thoughts of love and Naruto continued to flutter in and out of her mind as the Fourth Great Shinobi war began. Feelings, real feelings began circulating through her body whenever she thought about him. These feelings weren't feelings reserved for a friend, they were reserved for something more.

When Sakura had this realization, she initially wrote her feelings off. She told herself that she only thought she loved Naruto because she hadn't seen him for so long, and that she was fighting a war to protect him. She rationalized then that her "love" for Naruto was just a byproduct of her missing a good friend and teammate.

_"Sakura-chan, wanna go on a date with me?"_

_"NA-RU-TO! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NO! KAMI!"_

More tears slid down Sakura's cheeks as another memory of her madness flashed back into her mind. This particular memory was shortly after Naruto returned from his training trip with Jiraiya. She had a particularly long day of training and was in a foul mood when Naruto caught her and asked her out on a date for the millionth time in his life. If she had not been in such a foul mood, she probably would've been more gentle. But she was grumpy, and unleashed her fury on Naruto. He asked her for a date, and she in turn practically bit his head off before sending him flying with a powerful punch.

She later felt bad about it, but she was a prideful girl and hated admitting when she was wrong. So instead of apologizing, she continued to act like she was annoyed at him, which in turn made him annoyed with her...

Sakura took a calming breath and tried to blink that memory away. She was truly mad back then to treat Naruto so poorly. What she wouldn't give to go back and time and accept his request, she could only imagine the happiness a date with him would create. If only she had known back then how mad she had to be to turn down Naruto... If only her madness wasn't in control back then...

_"It's not important whether the things you do are large or small. What's important is the magnitude of feelings you have for Naruto."  
_

Yamato's words from all those years ago rang through Sakura's mind, kindly guiding her away from the memory of one of her many missed opportunities. Yamato's words helped her finally figure out what it was exactly that Naruto needed... It just took her a while to figure that out. When she finally realized that all Naruto wanted and needed from her was simply love, she became excited. Because for once in her life, she would be able to come to his rescue.

He had spent so much of his life being shunned, and hated for something beyond his control, that all he needed was someone to love him. She couldn't wait to run into him and finally confess to him, and finally bring the man that she loved happiness. Unfortunately, that was never meant to be.

After receiving news that Naruto was engaging Tobi, Sakura, along with many other shinobi, rushed to the battlefield to join him. Sakura sadly, arrived too late. When she was about three miles away from the battle, a fiery explosion lit up the night skyline. It was so large and bright that it made it appear as if the sun was out again. She ran the last three miles quicker than she had ever ran with a feeling of dread in her stomach.

She desperately screamed out Naruto's name as she arrived at the scene, her eyes scanning the smoldering crater for any sign of the man she was supposed to save. Her desperation grew with each second as she was unable to find him.

_"Sakura... I'm sorry." _Kakashi's grave voice rang out through her mind. _"He's gone. He sacrificed himself to put an end to all this; he said he didn't want anyone else to die because of him."_

"I wasn't supposed to see your end so early damnit." Sakura whispered. "Why did you leave before I could tell you that I realized... that I..." She choked back a sob as she dropped to the ground.

"I need to love." Sakura whispered so quietly that only one with excellent hearing would catch. "I NEED YOUR LOVE!" She screamed loudly this time. The tears she had been trying to hold back burst forth and streamed down her eyes, creating a steady waterfall of sorrow.

"Why did you leave before I could tell you..." Sakura's voice fell back down to a whisper. "Why did you go before I could show you that I really do love you. Why aren't you here when I need you more than anything?"

"I CAN'T FORGET YOU!" Sakura screamed. "I just want... I just want you to come back. I want to see your eyes when you can finally trust in my feelings for you... I want to stop being destroyed by my madness, I want to undo all the damage my madness caused... I..." She squeezed her eyes shut in frustration.

_"Don't cry Sakura-chan." _Naruto's gentle voice called out. It was comforting to hear his voice, but strangely enough, Sakura couldn't identify what memory was currently stuck in her mind. Her tears slowly trickled to a halt, as she felt a familiar presence around her. Her breath hitched when she felt a pair of arms snake themselves around her waist.

_"I'm sorry for being gone so long."_

Again, Sakura was unable to place the memory where Naruto's words were coming from. Sakura suddenly felt someone place their chin on the top of her head. It felt like him, the presence felt like him... But it couldn't be... He couldn't be real. Maybe her madness had finally destroyed her...

_"I really didn't have much of a choice though. That bastard Tobi tried to escape into that different dimension during my and Kurama's final attack, we had to go after him if we wanted to stop him."_

Sakura tentatively peaked her eyes open and glanced down. The pair of arms that were wrapped around her waist were covered by black sleeves. The memories of her past madness that had been plaguing her over the years suddenly came to a complete stop, freeing her from her sorrow and regret for the first time since that terrible day.

"So after we beat that bastard, well... let's just say space-time jutsus aren't really my thing."

The voice that Sakura had missed so much for the past four years sheepishly explained. She wanted to turn her head to see if the owner of the voice was really who she thought it was, but was scared to. She wasn't sure what she would do if this was just the next stage of her madness swallowing her whole.

"But I had to figure out a way to come back. I mean... I still haven't become Hokage yet! So it took me and Kurama a while, but we finally figured out a way to send me back to this dimension, and here I am. A little late... but better late than never, right Sakura-chan?"

"Na-Naruto?" Sakura quietly questioned.

"It's me Sakura." Naruto soothed.

Sakura spun around and her eyes watered when they connected with the sapphire eyes of a man whose "death" had driven her mad.

"You're... you're... we..." Sakura stammered out in shock. She took a deep breath to clear her mind. She had a second chance, one she didn't think she would ever get.

"I love you. I figured out that I love you. Please believe me, trust in..."

"I love you too Sakura." Naruto interrupted Sakura with a cheesy grin. "But you probably knew that already."

The madness from Sakura's past washed away and was replaced with a feeling of warmth at Naruto's words. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and held him as tight as humanly possible.

"I'm not... I'm not going mad right now am I? You're really here?" Sakura asked quietly.

"I'm never going anywhere again Sakura, that's a promise."

"Good." Sakura smiled a genuine smile for the first time in who knows how long.

* * *

I had ya going for a while there didn't I? You were probably thinking, "What the hell NaruDeeds, you're using this awesome song as an excuse to write a story without a happy ending? What happened to you man? Where are your morals?!" I can't resist a happy ending, so Naruto lives!

I hope you enjoyed it. It's certainly not my best piece of writing, but it was interesting to write for me. With this being a different piece than I normally do, I'm especially curious for your thoughts. Good, bad, ugly, awful, horrendous, I should be ashamed for writing such a garbage story under the inspiration of such a fantastic song? Review and let me know!

**As for an update on the rest of my stories:****  
**I sorta had my computer and car decide to team up and wage an all out holy war on my wallet. They both decided to take a crap at the same time which was real swell of them! The annoying part was that my computer had all of my fanfiction handily stored away. A friend who is much smarter with computers than I has told me I can get my old comp fixed and get all my files back, but it's gonna cost some money. Which, thanks to a newly renovated car and new computer, I do not have.

**But don't fret!****  
**I plan on getting things squared away within a month then I can push out some quite late chapters to Guardian, and bring a Jinchuriki's Strength to a close so I can get onto the next one!


	2. Everybody Talks

Heyo, another drabble! This one is inspired by the song, "Everybody Talks" by the Neon Trees. It's a pretty catchy tune that you've likely heard on the radio. If you haven't, YouTube it!

This one has implied lemons in it (oh my)!

Anywho... I do not own Naruto or else I would be filthy stinking rich and that commercial with the Neon Trees on the bus (I don't remember what it was for) would be played more often, because that amused the hell out of me!

Onwards and upwards, enjoy!

* * *

_**Everybody Talks**_

"Come on Sakura, look at me!" A blonde-haired boy who looked to just barely be 21 whined as he trailed behind a pink-haired girl.

"Let me be more for you, let us be more! I know you felt it too last night!"

"Naruto! I said no damnit!" Sakura sharply bit back with a very annoyed look on her face.

"That no is a load of crap and you know it! I know that this time you felt it. This time was real!"

"Will you quiet down, people are going to hear!" Sakura hissed.

"Everybody talks Sakura." Naruto retorted as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Naruto I swear to kami, if you don't stop this..." Sakura threatened.

"I know I'm always trying with you Sakura, but I'm not going to give up. Last night was awesome and you know it!"

Naruto had been trying to win her heart for nearly as long as she knew him. It had annoyed her in the past, but he was relatively harmless... and she didn't necessarily mind the attention. But in the past, she could intimidate him into temporarily giving up for the day. If she angrily told him no, he would back off and try again the next day. Since when had he gotten so bold and persistent to keep pushing even after she threatened him?

Sakura sighed. She knew exactly when he had gotten so bold. It started with a whisper. They were at a club, enjoying a couple of drinks together as friends and after one too many Sakura leaned over and whispered in his ear that she had her eyes on him. Well... that wasn't exactly when he became so bold. He was still confused at that point.

Sakura knew full well that he gained the courage to be bold after she went on to explain that she wanted him to kiss her, because she wanted him. Sakura blushed at the memory of Naruto's chaste, alcohol-fueled kiss. She had grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the bar and towards her apartment after that kiss. Then, thanks to one or two drinks more than she may have needed... well one thing led to another, which led to another, which then led to _that_.

"I know for sure that last night was the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me Sakura! I've never felt so good, so whole, so...alive. It is not possible for one person to feel such intense emotions in a situation like that and the other person not feel anything!" Naruto proclaimed with 100 percent certainty.

"Oh is that your expert medical opinion Dr. Naruto?" Sakura sarcastically rolled her eyes.

"It's just common sense!" Naruto huffed.

"Surrrre." Sakura drawled. She expertly hid her face from Naruto so he couldn't see how she blushed at the recollection of their night together.

"You don't want to be more with me Naruto, trust me. Too much of me could be a bad thing for your health. And besides, you and I both know if we were something more I would have you whipped. Do you really want people talking about how whipped you are?" Sakura weakly joked, hoping to shut her stubborn teammate up before the entire freaking village was talking about them spending a...passionate night together.

"As if you could have me whipped." Naruto smirked. "But I wouldn't care Sakura, because everybody talks."

Sakura scrunched her eyebrows together in annoyance. Did he think he was being some kind of wise philosopher when he said that?

"Tell me you didn't feel something amazing last night Sakura." Naruto pressed on.

"I..." Sakura started as her mind went back to her whisper, which led to that amazing kiss. That kiss that jolted her body and sent it into sake-fueled action. That amazing kiss that eventually led to her taking a step with a friend that felt so right, so amazing...

"We can't. Think of what everyone would say Naruto." She finally replied as she shook the thought from her mind. This was Naruto! Sweet, innocent, friendly, cute, handsome... Sakura shook her head to stop herself from going any further with that thought. This was Naruto. She could only imagine what Ino would say if she got a hold of this information...

"Everybody talks Sakura!"

"I heard you the first time you said that idiot!" Sakura snapped. She was getting tired of him repeating the same vague line over and over, like it explained everything.

"Apparently not!" Naruto countered.

"No Naruto, believe me I heard. Everybody talks. What a genius sentiment. You. Are. A. Scholar."

"I'm glad you're finally noticing!" Naruto chuckled.

"SARCASM NARUTO, I WAS BEING SARCASTIC!" Sakura yelled in frustration. "Just leave me alone for now and forget about last night!"

"Not gonna happen Sakura."

"NARUTO!"

"You know, I never thought I'd see the day when you would let everyone's words get in the way. I thought you had grown past that by now." Naruto calmly replied.

"What did you say..." Sakura growled as a tick mark appeared on her forehead.

"I said I thought you had grown more confident and were no longer so concerned with what people were saying about you. The Sakura that I said goodbye to when I left to train with Jiraiya certainly cared about what people were saying about her; but the strong, confident and powerful Sakura that greeted me when I returned certainly didn't give a shit."

Sakura stared at Naruto in shock. She had expected something that was either childish or that was gingerly dancing around one of her flaws without flat out saying so. She had not expected him to just be completely straight with her like that.

"I don't care what people are saying about me. I am still that strong girl." Sakura huffed. "You're grasping at straws now Naruto."

To her surprise, Naruto deflated a little bit. Instead of being happy that she was finally making progress in escaping this embarrassing situation, Sakura felt a little bad when she saw the look on his face.

"Then there's only one answer left to explain why you're so against this." Naruto said in a strangely even tone. It was a stark contrast to the excited and energetic voice he had been using to this point as he tried to convince her to give in.

"You're ashamed of me. You don't want people thinking you're with someone like me."

"Ashamed of you?" Sakura snorted. "What kind of girl would be ashamed to be with you? Try again idiot."

A small smile found its way onto Naruto's face at Sakura's hidden compliment.

"I thought you had grown more confident over the years Naruto." Sakura teased. She hoped her teasing would lure him into some proud declaration of how he was going to be Hokage, thus taking his mind off of their night together, allowing Sakura to escape this embarrassing situation.

"Nice try Sakura." Naruto smirked. "But you're not going to be able to distract me so easily. I'm not giving up on this, because I know this is what you want too!"

"And just how do you know that?" Sakura huffed.

"Well... it started when you whispered to me that you had your eye on me and you wanted me."

"I was drunk!"

"Not that drunk Sakura." Naruto grinned. "I always keep an eye on how much you drink, you had only had enough to drink to give you a buzz at that point."

"I...err..." Sakura stammered. Ok... so maybe she didn't have THAT much to drink. But how the hell did he knew that? When did he start keeping track of her alcohol consumption?

"But how else do I know this is what you want?" Naruto went on, mercifully saving Sakura from having to reply. "There was our kiss. That filled my vision with literal fireworks, and it made me feel so alive. Then there was the look in your eyes as you were taking me back to your house. It wasn't filled with lust exactly... Well, the lust was definitely there, but there was something else in the look you were giving me. Honestly, if it hadn't been for that look Sakura I wouldn't have believed you really wanted to do what we did last night and wouldn't have gone through with it. But I truly saw you, and you truly saw me. I know that you felt just as complete as I did last night."

"You really need to quiet down!" Sakura hissed again as she noticed a bunch of villagers looking at them with questioning looks on their faces. This was not a conversation Sakura really wanted everyone in the market to hear. "Everyone's going to hear you!"

"Everybody talks Sakura." Naruto grinned. "So come on, let's be more together." He added with a yell. Now all the villagers were definitely staring at them. Great. Just great.

"No!" Sakura yelled in embarrassment. She turned on her heel and started quickly walking away.

"Come on Sakuraaaa!" Naruto whined as he followed after her again.

"I said no!" Sakura hissed. "If you don't drop this right now I'm going to hurt you."

"I'm not dropping this until you're my girlfriend Sakura!" Naruto proclaimed plenty loud enough for all the gathered villagers to hear. "What we had last night was amazing, and you're the only girl I ever want to share that with!"

A small smile tugged at the edge of Sakura's mouth, but she kept it hidden. He was certainly stubborn, and now there wasn't much of a point from trying to hide anything. Thanks to Naruto's big mouth, all of the gathered villagers knew that they spent the night together.

"NA-RU-TO, THIS IS MY FINAL WARNING!" She "angrily" yelled. Just because he fought so hard to get her to give in did not mean she would let him take full credit for starting anything between the two.

"WELL I'M IGNORING IT! I LOVE YOU DAMNIT!" Naruto yelled back in a frustrated voice.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Sakura sharply turned around and shot Naruto a look that put the fear of kami in him as she cracked her knuckles and stalked towards her prey.

Naruto's growing frustration with his teammate's stubbornness was quickly replaced by fear as Sakura came near him. Apparently he had pushed her too far... But he really thought that she returned his feelings last night. The way she looked at him, the way she handled him... she had been so loving. Apparently he had seen what he wanted to see. Resigned to the fate he had pushed upon himself, Naruto closed his eyes and prayed that he wouldn't be in the hospital too long this time.

His fear was quickly replaced by shock when a soft pair of lips pressed against his own instead of Sakura's powerful fist. He opened his eyes as Sakura pulled away with a smirk. All of the villagers had gathered around them and were staring at them with a varying mixed of shocked expressions.

To Naruto's further surprise, Sakura possessively grabbed a hold of him as she stared out at the gathered crowd.

"You have something to say? Go ahead and say it." She challenged. The crowd, having witnessed something that they had believed they would never see, just stared at the couple with surprised smiles on their faces.

Satisfied with the response she had gotten from not just the crowd, but Naruto (who was still in a surprised stupor). Sakura grabbed Naruto's hand and started dragging him towards her apartment.

"Sakura, where are we going?" Naruto asked as he slowly started to come back to reality.

"My apartment. I hope you don't mind." Sakura said with a smirk.

"But Sakura, what will everybody say?" Naruto asked with a mock concerned voice and a happy grin on his face.

Sakura returned her new boyfriend's grin with a matching one. "I found out that everybody talks, Naruto."

* * *

This one was a much more light-hearted one than "Madness" was. Hope you enjoyed! Since **everybody talks**, you should too... **via review**! (See what I did there? I know... it was pretty bad. Apologies.)


	3. Some Nights

This newest drabble comes courtesy of the song "Some Nights" by Fun. This one is a little different from the first two, the entire song guided the drabbles. For this one however, aside from the start, the words of the song didn't really guide this one much. It's a bit of a bittersweet one, and a little rushed since it's a drabble, but I enjoyed writing it!

Warning: this one contains character death.

Enjoy!

* * *

_**Some Nights**_

An old man with spiky gray hair and dull blue eyes stood on a hilltop. Below the man could see the torches of countless men and women marching on his army's position. One could tell by looking at the man that he had a difficult life; his face was crinkled and his eyes held a perpetually weary look.

"Are you sure this aint past your bed time old man?" Another old man who was wearing a blue scarf asked, although he looked younger than the first.

"This is nothing Konohamaru." The wrinkled old man said with the hint of a smile ghosting his face. "Some nights I can't sleep because I can't stop thinking about all of my bad luck."

"Hokage-sama, you know..." Konohamaru started.

"I know none of it was my fault... but I can't help it. I still see her ghost in my dreams you know." The Hokage smiled sadly as his eyes drifted back to his most painful memory.

"Naruto..." Konohamaru muttered. He wished he had been stronger back during the fourth great war, he wished he could've done something more than sit at home while the man he looked to as a big brother lost the one he loved...

He waited for the Hokage's reply, but none came. The old man was apparently engulfed by his memory.

_FLASHBACK_

_"YOU LET YOUR GUARD DOWN NARUTO!" Obito screamed. Naruto turned to see Obito charging him with a kunai. After stopping Madara, his body was too exhausted to dodge the coming blow; he knew this was the end and closed his eyes to wait._

_He heard the sound of steel piercing flesh but did not feel any pain. A feeling of dread filled his body as he opened his eyes. _

_"You're... not going to hurt him." A girl with pink hair gasped. Naruto wanted to scream, but he could only simply watch in horror as Sakura delivered a powerful chakra-enhanced punch to Obito. Apparently he had been worn down too much to teleport part of his body to his other dimension; Sakura's hit landed cleanly, and if the sickening crunch that Naruto heard was any indicator, Obito was now truly dead._

_"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled once he found his ability to speak again._

_"Naruto... no need to yell." Sakura smiled fondly at him. "You're ok now; you're safe."_

_"I don't care! Start healing yourself!"_

_"I'm doing what I can to keep myself alive a little longer, but that kunai pierced my heart. I'm going...to die soon." She gasped out. "Sorry about that."_

_"No...no! You can't die! Why did you do that? I have Kurama, I would've been fine!" Naruto took Sakura into his arms as he desperately hoped against hope that this was all just a nightmare. _

_"Baka..." Sakura smiled. "You used up most of Kurama's chakra. And as I said... not much medical jutsus can do when a kunai completely pierces a heart. Not even...you would've lasted."_

_"I would..." Sakura cut Naruto off by shakily pressing a finger against his lips._

_"Shh... I don't want to spend our last moments... arguing." She wheezed out. "I need to tell you something."_

_Sakura took a few labored breaths as she gathered her strength, willing herself to survive for just a little longer._

_"I love you Naruto, and I'm not... lying to myself."_

_Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the beautiful kunoichi dying in his arms._

_"I wish I could've been around longer so we... could have been happy together." Sakura went on. She grit her teeth in pain, but she wasn't finished. Naruto could see that she was determined to say more._

_"But you living is more important... Naruto... you're special. To me, to your friends, to the world... you're special. You're the only one who can bring peace to the world, and I know you're going to do it. So don't let this ruin you; I sacrificed myself for you because I love you, and I know you're going to protect everyone and bring peace to the world."_

_"Sakura..."_

_"So don't get depressed because I died... Be happy, keep on being the wonderful caring, determined and stubborn man I love. Find someone who makes you happy, and start a family with her."_

_"I can't..." Naruto whispered as tears started flowing from his eyes. "I can't do any of that without you Sakura."_

_"Of course you can." Sakura smiled weakly up at him. "You're my Naruto; you can do anything."_

_"I..."_

_"My chakra is almost out." Sakura announced. "I don't have much longer."_

_"Sak..."_

_"Just shut up and kiss me... baka." Sakura gasped out, Naruto could tell she was trying to keep the pain from her features as she smiled at him... but he could see the pain leaking through. He leaned down and did what he had wanted to his entire life; he kissed Sakura Haruno._

_His body tingled with electricity as their mouths opened so their tongues could dance together. This was everything and more he had ever imagined. The kiss was cut short as Sakura suddenly pulled away and started coughing._

_"Kami..." Sakura muttered once she stopped. "I should've done that sooner, ne?"_

_"I love you Sakura... I love you so much."_

_"Naruto..." Sakura sighed wistfully. He could tell she was out of chakra. Her body was rapidly paling in color, and her eyelids began to flutter close. He watched as she fought with everything she had to keep them open._

_"I love...you too."_

_FLASH IN_

"Boss! Snap out of it!" Konohamaru muttered as he shook Naruto. He had been fine with letting the old Hokage walk down memory lane, but he decided to intervene the second he saw tears start flowing down his friend's face.

"Ah sorry Konohamaru." Naruto apologized as he wiped away his tears.

Konohamaru frowned at the older man. Naruto had never been the same after Sakura sacrificed herself for him. His smiles were rarely genuine, and his eyes never held the same life that they had before the war. He lost his energetic step, but he shouldered on.

He kept the ninja alliance going, he convinced the Alliance to advocate for democracy, and through the the Alliance, convinced the daimyos.

"We're almost there you know, we're almost to that peace you've fought so hard for."

"The first step." Naruto agreed with a smile. "Who knows what is beyond this land... but we'll at least achieve peace within our own land first."

"You're the only one who could've done this Naruto." Konohamaru said. "No one else. Your never-ending determination and your strength have led us here."

"Hah. Trying to get me to name you the next Hokage Konoahamaru?" Naruto teased. "To be honest, most nights I don't even know what I stand for anymore."

Naruto chuckled at the surprised look on Konohamaru's face.

"I mean... I always said I would protect everyone and protect those that are precious to me... But I haven't. Sakura-chan sacrificed herself for me... Kakashi-sensei, Sai, Yamato... they all died when I sent them on a dangerous intelligence mission."

"But the intel they gathered prevented the fifth war! And the intel they gained was vital to your efforts for unifying everyone!"

"I know..." Naruto sighed. "But I still sent them to their deaths. Truthfully, I've done a pretty poor job protecting my precious people."

"Why are you so down tonight boss?" Konohamaru asked. Honestly, this was the most Naruto had opened up in Konohamaru's memory since the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Usually he hid his emotions away and would say that a Hokage couldn't let himself be ruled by emotions. That the old man was being this open was unexpected, and a little alarming all in one.

"What do I stand for Konohamaru?" Naruto quietly asked.

"You stand for peace." A new voice called. Naruto looked over his shoulder to see a young man who couldn't be much older than 30. The man stood at a similar height to Naruto, but they looked nothing alike. The man's hair was brown, his eyes were hazel and he was very built.

"You stand for doing the right thing, you stand for never giving up... You stand for all that is good Dad."

"Sasuke, I wasn't expecting you here tonight." Naruto smiled at his adopted son.

"We got new info, as you can probably guess, the separatists are planning to make their final stand tonight. My squad arrived as quickly as we could."

"I'm glad I got to see you." Naruto said with a strange look on his face.

"Jeez Dad you're only 58; stop talking like you're going to die." Sasuke sighed.

"58 is damn old." Naruto chuckled. "I suppose I should address the troops now since the separatists are going to make us all fight tonight, eh?"

"That would probably be for the best." Sasuke agreed.

"Fine fine, gather everyone for me if you don't mind Sasuke."

"Of course Dad."

"Naruto... do you not plan on surviving this fight?" Konohamaru asked once Sasuke was out of earshot. "Is that why you're being so candid tonight?"

"I've held onto the Hokage position for a long time Konohamaru." Naruto sighed. "And I've changed it so it's not what you wanted when we were kids... But you're going to be a fine Hokage."

"I'm not exactly young myself you know!"

"Oh, so you don't want it?"

"Not if it means you're going to let yourself die!"

"I'm not going to give up." Naruto chuckled. "But... this is going to be a difficult battle. For us to win, for us to reach the peace I have fought so long for... I'm going to need to fight like I'm 20 years younger. I need to unleash Kurama's full power, and I need to be on the front lines causing as much havoc and chaos for the enemy as I can."

"But..."

"I'm going to fight like I was younger, but I'm not. I know that I'm not going to be able to dodge everything that I used to be able to dodge... but there is no other option. So if I die, then I want you to be Hokage, Konohamaru. I did recognize you as my successor a long time ago after all."

"What about your son?"

"He's got a wife and family now." A true smile flashed on Naruto's face. "His wife's family is awesome, and his kids are great. It will hurt him, but many people lose their parents at a much younger age. And now my grandchildren will be raised in an age of peace."

"But you can't die!"

"Of course I can." Naruto scoffed. "I've done what I needed to do; I've done what only I could do. After we win this war, I know the next generation can take it from here. So, will you be the next Hokage?"

"Of course Boss! I just hope it doesn't happen soon."

"Just make sure you name my son successor. He'll do a fine job in the position."

"Boss..."

"Old man! I've gathered everyone!" Sasuke's voice called.

"Hmmph, so much for him not thinking I'm that old." Naruto sighed. He walked towards Sasuke's voice and found that his entire army was waiting for him. He cast a quick voice magnification jutsu so all of his troops could hear him.

"This is it everyone... this is the war. This battle is the finish that we've been waiting for. Those bastards marching toward us want to keep the world as it is, they don't believe in the strength of our unity. They're fighting for future bloodshed, for future hatred... We're fighting for peace."

Naruto paused as the troops murmured in agreement.

"We've all been kept up at night wishing this all would end, praying that our friends and loved ones wouldn't die... We've all worried that we might just lose this war, and our memories will fade from history. But that's not going to happen. I don't lose; I don't give up and I will always win." Naruto said with a strength in his voice that had been missing over the years.

"Each and every one of us has sacrificed so much for this. My parents, my senseis, my friends and my loved ones have all sacrificed themselves for this peace. It has taken me many years, but we're here. We are at the precipice of peace. So I ask you all to join me in the field of battle. Some of you will die, I may die, but no matter the price each of us pays today we **will** win this fight. We **will** end this war. And most importantly, we **will** bring peace to this land."

The crowd erupted in cheers as Naruto turned around and walked back to the edge of the cliff.

"They're closing in on us now. Stay strong, don't abandon your comrades, and let's finish this!" Golden-orange energy erupted from Naruto's body and took the form of the nine-tailed fox.

"This is the end... let's finish this Kurama." Naruto whispered. The legions of the opposing army were near now.

"Boss..."

"Thanks for everything over the years Konohamaru. Direct our forces well from this hilltop, we'll make sure no one reaches you."

"Thank you Naruto." Konohamaru said as he blinked away a tear. Now was not the time to cry. "Stone squad, you're up!"

Naruto leaped from the hilltop and launched a biju ball down at the approaching army. With a battle cry that would've made his 25 year old self proud, the weary Hokage began the final battle.

* * *

The battle was long and hard fought, and those on the battlefield would've sworn the Hokage was 20 years younger. Naruto fought like a demon, decimating entire squads of the separatists forces on his own. But he wasn't 20 years younger, and he took blow after blow. Kurama tried his best to keep Naruto patched up, but by the time the battle was nearing its close, blood was pouring out of his body through hundreds of wounds.

He was currently sitting down with his back leaning against a tree. He was so tired... So weary. He had gone on for so long... But the battle wasn't done yet. He went to rise, but a soft voice that Naruto recognized stopped him in his tracks.

"That's enough Naruto, they can all take it from here. I knew you could do it."

Naruto looked to his side to see a woman he hadn't seen in 40 years standing by his side with a proud smile on her face.

"S...Sakura-chan?" Naruto gasped. "How are you here?"

"I'm here to guide you." Sakura sighed. "You really overdid it you know baka. I wanted you to die of old age, not from getting cut apart in a battle!"

"So I was right... This is my final fight." Naruto muttered. "Good... I'm tired of fighting." He began to close his eyes, but Sakura's voice forced them to snap back open.

"Hey don't go dying yet! You've still got to say goodbye to your son!"

"Ah true. Do you think I'll live long enough for him to find me?"

"As long as you don't do anything stupid like go try to fight some more. He's looking for you now."

"I did as you asked you know." Naruto smiled. "I started a family."

"I wanted you to fall in love with another woman and have a big family! And I wanted you to be happy your entire life; you didn't do as I asked." Sakura huffed.

"Hehe... I guess not. I was happy enough though... it was just hard without you there. You're the only woman I will ever love."

"DAD!"

"He's here Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled. "Meet my son, Sasuke."

"What the hell are you talking about you crazy old man?" Sasuke asked, trying to hide the worry from his eyes.

"You can't see her? I guess I can only see her because I'm about to die."

"No, you're not about to die. Just shut up and let me heal you."

"Hah, you suck at medical jutsus Sasuke." Naruto laughed. "I don't even think Sakura could save me if she was alive. Those guys really kicked my ass... but I totally kicked their asses harder."

"Why did you do that? We could've won this fight without you on the front lines!"

"So many more people would've died if I hadn't." Naruto said. "You'll understand why I did it one day when you're the Hokage."

"You can't go yet Dad! Please don't..."

"I'm tired Sasuke." Naruto smiled at his son. "You're going to be fine. Your kids are going to be raised in an age without all this damn hatred and war. I've fought so long for peace, I've brought everyone to its doorstep... I think you can take it from here, ne?"

"We found him! We found the Hokage!" A voice yelled. Naruto looked up to see more of his soldiers approaching, but they quickly stopped and bowed their heads when they saw the state he was in and saw the tears slipping down his son's face. He nodded his gratitude towards them.

"Dad..." Sasuke wrapped his dying father in a hug. "Thank you... thank you so much."

"You're welcome son." Naruto wheezed out as he returned his son's hug. He felt his last strands of life quickly fading. "I...love you."

"Love you too dad..."

A strange sensation went through Naruto's body and suddenly he was standing up and looking down at his son who was clutching his body.

"Whoah, that was weird." Naruto mumbled with a sad frown on his face as he watched his son cry.

"It is, and this part kinda sucks." Sakura quietly said with tears in her eyes.

"What part?"

"Watching everyone you know and love grieve over you."

"Oh... Yeah..." Naruto glumly agreed. "When do I... you know... move on?"

"It's a little different for everyone, but it's generally after your funeral."

"Will you stay with me?"

"I'm not supposed to." Sakura reached out and grabbed Naruto's hand. "But I wasn't supposed to greet you when you were dying either. Really, as your guide all I was supposed to do is come when it was time for you to move on and take you to the next step."

"Why did you come so early then?"

"Because I missed you." Sakura smiled sweetly at him as she gave his hand a comforting squeeze. "And I didn't want you to go through this alone..."

"So you're going to stay with me?" Naruto asked with a hopeful look on his face.

"Always Naruto." Sakura laid her head on Naruto's shoulder as they watched his son and the members of the army he had commanded grieve his death.

* * *

True to her word, Sakura stayed with Naruto for the entire week leading up to his funeral. She had laughed as Naruto realized he no longer had his old body, but instead the body of his 25 year-old self, and was there for him when Naruto watched his family and loved ones completely break down from their grief. The two now found themselves watching as people from all over the world gathered to pay their respects.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, look! There's Sasuke's wife and my two grand kids! Isn't she pretty? And aren't they beautiful?" Naruto beamed in pride.

"Yes, your son got pretty lucky." Sakura agreed.

"I just wish you could see them when they weren't all so sad." Naruto sighed.

"I have Naruto."

"Eh?"

"I watched over you after I left. I made sure not to miss a moment of your life."

"Not a moment? So you watched me... you know... in the bathroom and stuff?"

"BAKA!" Sakura yelled as she slapped him upside the head with an embarrassed look on her face. "I'm not some creepy pervert, of course not!"

"Right right Sakura-chan! I was just joking." Naruto looked around at all the sad faces of the gathered people. He spotted some of his old friends that he graduated the academy with, and so many other people he had befriended over the years.

He hated how sad they all looked... but even more, he hated that he was responsible for their sadness.

"How did you handle this?" Naruto asked in a quiet voice. "This sucks, seeing everyone so sad and knowing it's your fault."

"Well... I kept telling myself I gave my life for this cute guy who was going to save the entire world, and I also told myself that he would eventually be happy and start a family... seeing as how I told him to." Sakura joked, trying to lighten Naruto's mood.

"I'm glad you're here." Naruto said in a soft tone. "Thank you for coming."

"I'm not just going to stand by and let the man I love suffer alone now that I can do something about it!" Sakura said as she snaked an arm around his waste.

"I love you too Sakura-chan."

"Shh, it's starting Naruto." Sakura said as a man stepped up to the podium that had been set up.

"Hehe, so Jizoru-chan is going to be the one to speak at my funeral."

"It's pretty appropriate since he's going to be the temporary shogun of the entire land while they finish setting everything up for your vision."

"Thank you for coming everyone." The temporary shogun spoke up. "We are here today to grieve the loss of one of the greatest men to ever walk this land, and to both honor and celebrate his life. Naruto Uzumaki was a hero among heroes. He rose from hatred and brought peace to our land. It is only thanks to him that I am currently the Shogun, and it is only thanks to him that I will be handing my power over to a president and a governing body in three years when we have the infrastructure in place to finish Naruto Uzumaki's dream."

Naruto was humbled by the words of the Shogun. He always called the man, "Jizuro-chan" to annoy him, but Jizuro was a powerful and charismatic man. He was in his forties, but had already gathered so much support. Naruto felt safe in entrusting his dream to the man, he knew Jizuro would gladly give up his power when the time came that the land could handle it.

Sakura gave him a small squeeze as they continued to listen to the words of the first ever Shogun of their land.

* * *

The funeral was surprisingly long since so many people wanted to speak. Naruto had cried several times as people spoke, but a true smile was etched firmly onto his face. When he was a little kid, no one acknowledged him and everyone hated him. He was proud that he had achieved the dream his younger self so desperately wanted... People acknowledged him, people respected him and people loved him.

Sakura had stayed quiet the entire time, but she wore a smile filled with pride throughout the entire thing. Finally though, the ceremony came to a close. Naruto and Sakura followed the procession to his final resting place, and watched as they lowered his dead body into the ground.

"Is it going to be time soon?"

"Yes, we're almost there."

"Ok." Now that he was here, Naruto was nervous. Death had never scared Naruto before, and as the years went on, he almost welcomed it. But now that he was actually dead, and actually about to ascend to whatever was next... and stay there for all of _eternity_...

"Relax Naruto." Sakura whispered into his ear when she saw how nervous he was. "It's really wonderful where we're about to go."

Naruto nodded his head and watched as everyone dropped dirt onto his grave. Soon, the ceremony was finished and only his son and family were remaining. Sasuke was kneeling at his grave, and his head was bowed with tears leaking from his eyes.

"It's almost time, let's go say bye for now."

Naruto nodded and approached his family. "Sasuke..." He quietly said, knowing the boy wouldn't actually be able to hear him.

"You've given me so much joy over the years, I couldn't have asked for a better son. You have brought honor to your name, and I know you will continue to, so I have to thank you for that too. I love you all so much, I look forward to seeing you grow."

"It's time Naruto... it's time for us to go." Sakura said.

Naruto nodded, and reached his hand out to ruffle his boy's hair. To his surprise, Sasuke's eyes snapped open and he looked around.

"Could he... feel me?"

"Sorta... It would take me a while to explain." Sakura smiled at him. "Come on, I think you've earned your rest. Let's go."

Sakura extended her hand towards Naruto. He stared back at his son and family and gave them one last smile before turning to take Sakura's hand.

* * *

Anddd fin. Bittersweet, but I liked the idea overall. I almost went and made this one into a multi-chapter story instead of keeping it in drabble form, but seeing how good I am at keeping up with my other stories decided against it =) Speaking of those other stories... I've gotten a decent number of PMs asking if they're done and the answer is no. When will updates be up? Sometime. Every time I try to put up a timeframe it goes to shit, so I'll just say there will be updates _sometime_.

As always, feel free to share your thoughts!


	4. Suit and Tie

New drabble comes courtesy of JT and his awesome single, "Suit and Tie." Can't stop listening to this one. This drabble isn't anything remotely deep, but it's fun, silly and has a little bit of fluff. enjoy!

* * *

"Look at my suit and... shit...tie?" Naruto drunkenly hiccuped to his pink-haired companion.

"Yes Naruto. You're wearing a suit and tie." Sakura groaned, cursing whatever higher power decided that she would be the one stuck babysitting her drunk teammate tonight.

"I'm all on this suit and tie...shit..."

"What?" Sakura asked warily.

"Can I show you a few things Sakura-chaan?" Naruto asked, seeminlgy recovered from whatever caused him to swear just a moent ago.

"No. No you cannot." Sakura bit out. "Why don't you drink some water?"

"Sakuraaa, I'm wearing a suit and tie!"

"I swear to all that is holy Naruto..."

"Man I loook good in this, right?"

"It's certainly better than that horrible jumpsuit..." Sakura drawled.

"So can I show you a few things Sakuraaa?"

"I already told you no dumbass."

"Hey Narutooo!" Kiba called out. Judging by the way he was stumbling around, Sakura guessed he was almost drunk as Naruto.

"You ready?"

"Ready for what?" Sakura groaned. She just HAD to decide to come out to the bars tonight. She could currently be sitting at home, reading a nice book and enjoying some tea. Instead she had to...

"HELL YEAH! I can't wait till I get you home Sakuraaa-chan."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sakura growled.

"You're sooo, hot, ya know?"

"Naruto!" Sakura was ashamed that she actually blushed at her drunk teammate's brash comment.

"You're so hot that I always think that... that I'm gonna burn myself on you or something."

"I can't believe it... you're even cheesier when you're drunk."

"Let's go dance Sakuraaa!" Naruto slurred with a happy grin on his face.

"Dance? Don't you hate dancing?" Sakura quirked an eyebrow. "Aren't you the same man who said, and I quote, the day you catch me dancing is the day I denounce ramen?"

"As long as I got my suit and tie, I'm gonna leave it all on the floor tonight." Naruto drunkenly giggled, ignoring Sakura's question. "And besides, look at you. You look amazing tonight! You want to dance!"

"Well I certainly wouldn't mind dancing..."

"Come onnnn!"

Sakura rolled her eyes but allowed herself to get pulled onto the dance floor by Naruto. She always imagined that one day she would be the one pulling a protesting Naruto onto a dance floor somewhere. Alcohol was a funny thing.

"STOP!" Naruto suddenly yelled causing Sakura and all of the people on the dance floor to pause and look at him.

"Let me get a good look at you Sakura." Naruto winked, causing all the people who had just paused to sweat drop.

"Everytime your drunk ass starts to amuse me just a little you have to go blow it by doing something stupid like that..." Sakura groaned. "Why did I let myself get roped into babysitting you again..."

"Because you're mineee and you couldn't stay away." Naruto waggled his eyebrows at her.

"You are so lucky that Tsunade threatened to make me pay any damages that result from me beating your ass when you're an idiot." Sakura groaned.

"Haha, classic Sakuraaa." Naruto sheepishly laughed. "You're all mine tonight!"

"You know what? We're sparring tommorrow morning. And when I say sparring, I mean I'm dragging you to the training ground and pumelling you into the ground!" Sakura growled.

"Psssh, you're not mad! How could you possibly be mad when I'm wearing this suit and tie?"

Sakura looked at Naruto and begrudgingly admitted that he did look pretty good in that suit. And while she certainly didn't appreciate being referred to as "his," she didn't mind the underlying sentiment.

"You think good looks will save you from this?" Sakura asked, deciding not to let Naruto in on the fact that she wasn't really all that angry.

"When you're dressed like that, definitely." Naruto smirked. "Be honest, you got all dressed up and came out tonight for meee."

"Dream on drunky." Sakura smirked, again deciding against admitting to him that it was partly true. If he wasn't going to be here tonight, she probably wouldn't have decided to come out. But it's not like she got all dressed up for him... Their schedules just didn't match up this week. When he was free, she was working. When she was free, he was off on some mission. This was the first time she had gotten to hang out with Naruto all week.

"Admit it Sakura-chan, love is swinging in the air tonight." Naruto drunkenly grinned.

"You're such an idiot." Sakura sighed. "Are we gonna dance or are you just going to keep on spouting out cheesy crap all night?"

"I'm leaving everything on the floor tonight!" Naruto yelled with a determined look on his drunken face.

"Let me show you a few things Sakuraaa." Naruto started drunkenly swaying around, causing Sakura to laugh. She couldn't help but join in and dance as well, albeit with a lot more grace.

"How many times do I have to tell you no?" Sakura rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you could possibly show me anyways."

"I want to show you a few things about love Sakura." Naruto said with a surprisingly earnest look on his face.

"Wh-what?" Sakura asked, that was certainly not the reply she was expecting. Love was not a word she let herself use around Naruto anymore. Not after what she did in the Iron Country. It had been two years since then, and judging by Naruto's actions since, her act in the Iron Country removed any possibility of the word "love" ever being exchanged between the two of them as anything more meaningful as friends.

"Heyy everyone, look at Na-ru-to!" Kiba yelled, drunkingly slinging an arm over Naruto's shoulder. Whatever Naruto had been about to say would now have to wait. And Sakura found herself lightly annoyed at Kiba for that...

"He's got his..."

"Kiba...shut up." Hinata sighed. Judging by the annoyed look on her face, it looked like Sakura wasn't the only one babysitting a drunken teammate tonight.

"Sorry Sakura, Naruto. Come on Kiba, let's go!"

"But...I had a lot to say!" Kiba whined. "I was even going to rhyme!"

"And that's why we're going right now." Hinata groaned. Sakura quirked an eyebrow, as that may have been the very first time she had actually heard Naruto groan. Usually she was far too reserved to display such emotion.

"But..."

"Nope. We're going home."

"WE'RE going home?" Kiba grinned. "Whose home?"

"You're going to yours, and I'm going to mine." Hinata said with a roll of her eyes.

"Awww, that's no fun! I hope you have better luck Narutoo!"

"As long as I got my suit and tie, I'll be fine." Naruto grinned, drunkenly entering the nice guy pose.

"You seem to think that suit and tie have magical powers or something." Sakura noted as Hinata pulled Kiba away.

"It's working so far, right?" Naruto countered with a cheeky grin.

"It's definitely not." Sakura partially lied.

"Me dressed like this, you dressed like that... It's definitely working."

"Oh yes Naruto. How did you put it again, love is swinging in the air tonight?" Sakura sarcastically replied.

"EXACTLY! See? I knew you get it!"

"After tonight, you're never drinking alcohol again. Got it?" Sakura rolled her eyes for the hundreth time that night.

"And I was being sarcastic you idiot."

"Just let me show you a few things!" Naruto whined. Sakura would never understand what it was about alcohol that could transform a powerful, strong-willed individual into a whiny child.

"Just dance Naruto." Sakura commanded. Again, mentally noting that if she had just told Ino that she would not be coming out tonight, she could be sitting at home, enjoying a quiet night in with a cup of tea...

"I'm dancing, see?"

"If that's what you call dancing, sure." Sakura teased.

"You need to let me show you a few things Sakuraa." Naruto pressed.

"Naruto..."

"There's some things that you're not good with! Very important things!" Naruto went on, undettered by her protests.

"I swear..."

"It's not your fault. I mean... you had Sasuke screww you over. Then look what I did when you confessed to me? ME! ME OF ALL PEOPLE!"

Sakura had stopped dancing and was now staring at Naruto with a curious look on her face.

"Why are you bringing this up now?"

"How could you know anything about love when the two times you tried to open your heart you got rejected?"

"I don't know where you're going with this Naruto... but drunk or not, you're in dangerous territory."

"I've been in love all my life!" Naruto boasted with a proud, yet still quite drunk, smile. "With you of course."

Sakura's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything.

"So I'm here in my suit and tie, and you're here wearing that dress I like... Let me show you a few things about love Sakura."

Sakura couldn't find her voice. When she agreed to go out tonight, and then when she got stuck babysitting her drunken teammate, she certainly didn't expect to get any sort of cheesy confession out of him like this.

"Let me show you all about love!" Naruto yelled. He suddenly tripped over his own feet and began falling forward, but Sakura caught him without a second thought. She didn't protest in the slightest when he drunkenly slipped his arms around her waste and pulled her into one of the stranger hugs she had gotten.

"Naruto..." Sakura whispered with a small smile on her face. "I..."

She paused. Naruto had been drunk, so his confession wasn't exactly smooth, but she wasn't drunk. She would answer him the right way. Just as she opened her mouth to reply, a slight snoring could be heard coming from Naruto.

Sakura looked at his face and sighed when she saw that he had passed out.

"Alcohol sucks." Sakura groaned. Go figure, she finally gets a confession from a guy she cares about, and the idiot goes and passes out before she can reply?

"Time to go home Naruto." Sakura sighed. She picked him up and carried him back to his home.

Sunlight poured through the window, forcing Naruto to slowly stir awake. A throbbing headache made sure he regretted waking up...

"Ughh... what the hell..." Naruto groaned to no one in particular. He got up and noticed he was wearing his black suit and tie.

"What the..."

Before Naruto could ponder what was going on any further, a knock sounded at the door. He got up, stumbled to his door and pulled it open to see Sakura standing there with an amused look on her face.

"Wow, you look like shit." Sakura smirked.

"What are you doing here so early Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, squinting from the sunlight that was coming in through the open door.

"It's 2 in the afternoon!"

"Oh... So what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working right now?"

"I was out late last night because I had to take care of a drunk idiot. Things were really slow at the hospital today, and after a short conversation with Tsunade, I got the day off."

"What'd you talk to Baa-chan about?"

"Not important." Sakura replied with an innocent smile. She definitely wasn't going to tell him he was the topic of their conversation. And she definitely wasn't going to tell him that Tsunade had not-so-subtly pushed her in his direction.

"So...why are you here?"

"You don't want me here?" Sakura asked with an overly dramatic frown.

"WHAT?! No! I love spending time with you! It's just... I'm a little hungover right now and just woke up. My brain isn't working so well yet."

"Is it ever?" Sakura teased. "Nice suit and tie by the way."

"Yeah... do you know why I'm wearing this by the way?" Naruto asked. The last thing I remember, Kiba challenged me to a drinking contest after lunch. We drank a LOT, and I think we went out to the bars even?"

"I have an idea of why you wore it." Sakura cryptically replied. "You were already in it by the time I met up with you guys."

"So why did I wear it?"

"You were gonna show me a few things."

"A few things?"

"Yeah." Sakura smiled at him. "So... show me. I'm ready."

"Err... what am I showing you?"

Sakura smiled sweetly at Naruto and leaned in, she stopped herself inches away from Naruto's lips.

"Figure it out." She pulled back and chuckled at Naruto's stupefied expression.

"Figure what out? You gotta help me here Sakura!"

"Maybe you would remember if you hadn't gotten so damn drunk yesterday." Sakura brushed past Naruto's shoulder and walked into his apartment.

"But... damnit! Did I say anything stupid? Just tell me what I'm going to show you!"

Sakura looked over her shoulder and couldn't help but laugh. She thought about telling him, but decided to let him figure it out on his own.

Besides... he probably wouldn't pass out after confessing to her this time... she hoped.

* * *

Alright! Feel free to review!


	5. When I Was Your Man

New drabble! Courtesy of Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man." It's not the greatest song ever, and apparently it's been out on the radio for a while, but this came to mind when I heard it the other day.

* * *

Naruto sighed as he stood in a small park alone. The sun was setting, casting a calm, orange glow over the entire area that he used to love back when he came here with company. But he didn't notice the small park's beauty this time when bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

It just wasn't the same without Sakura by his side. He frowned at the thought of her. Just hearing or even thinking her very name hurt right now. He had her... he had Sakura Haruno. And then he lost her. He should be angry at the man who took her from him, but he probably had no one but himself to blame for this.

Sure, Sasuke returned to Konoha three weeks ago... and sure, Sakura had always had a major crush on Sasuke... but a month and a half ago, Sakura had decided to give him a chance. He asked her out on a date, as he often did, fully expecting another rejection. Instead, to his surprise, Sakura smiled at him and said "ok."

Those six weeks had been wonderful. Sakura became much more affectionate with him, and she genuinely seemed happy. He, of course, had never been happier. It appeared that he was winning Sakura's heart

Even better, when Sasuke returned, Sakura didn't instantly flock to him like Naruto half expected. Instead, she actually became more affectionate with him, her boyfriend that she still seemed to be happy to have. She would often reach out and grab his hand while they were walking around the village, or rest her head on his shoulder while relaxing at a park... Naruto was just starting to think that he didn't have to worry about losing Sakura now that Sasuke was back.

But reality smacked him in the face last night. Everyone was out in one of Konoha's most active night clubs, Naruto and Sakura included. Naruto stepped away to get drinks for Sakura and himself, and when he returned, he saw Sakura dancing with Sasuke with a happy smile on her face. She wasn't exactly grinding up on him or anything, but she was still dancing with Sasuke and seemed quite pleased about it.

Naruto was angry at first, but he caught himself before he did anything he would regret later. He left abruptly without saying bye to Sakura, Sasuke, or really anyone for that matter. He just wanted to get away. A knock sounded on his door later in the night, which he guessed was Sakura coming to break up with him. But it had been late enough that he could pretend to be asleep and not have to deal with it. When he woke up this morning, he avoided Sakura like the plague. Hell, he avoided everyone like the plague really. He wasn't ready to get dumped yet.

Narutp paused and looked on as a gentle breeze ruffled through a tree that he and Sakura had spent many afternoons comfortably lounging underneath. He really should be angry at Sasuke... but he wasn't.

Sure, Sasuke took Sakura from him... but it wasn't Sasuke's fault. Naruto had been so damn cautious about doing anything with Sakura. She was always the one who would have to reach out and hold his hand, she was always the one who had to instigate a kiss, and she was always the one that had to instigate any sort of affectionate display.

It's not that he didn't want to be the one to initiate something, but he had years upon years upon years of experience telling him that he wasn't allowed to do those sort of things with Sakura. The idea of being able to reach out and hold her hand without getting walloped was still a foreign concept to him.

If only he would've had more guts... As soon as Sakura agreed to give him a chance he should've bought her flowers and whooped and cheered at the top of his lungs so she knew how important she was to him. He should've been more affectionate with her in public, instead of worrying about her getting furious at him for any little touch... He should've just reached out and held her hand.

If he had done all that, he was confident that Sakura would not have been dancing with Sasuke last night. She was coming around to him, and she clearly wanted to see where their relationship could lead...but she got tired of waiting.

He didn't buy her flowers, he didn't hold her hand, and now the sexy, strong, feisty woman he had fallen in love with moved on... well... moved back to her first crush.

"When the hell did I become such a coward anyways..." Naruto muttered to no one in particular. He had built a reputation on being fearless, reckless and confident. Yet when push came to shove, all that fearlessness, recklessness and confidence was nowhere to be found when he was with Sakura. He could stare down the freaking jubi with an excited grin on his face, but he couldn't reach out and grab Sakura's hand.

"Of course you would be here. Kami I'm such an idiot. I can't believe I didn't think to check our spot first." An exasperated voice called.

"Hello Sakura." Naruto said in a sad tone. She found him, and now it was all officially going to end. He was going to pay for his timidness and mistakes.

"You know Naruto, when you take a girl out to a bar you're supposed to stay with her the entire night, or at least tell her when you're leaving." Sakura chided as she approached him. She was breathing a little heavier than normal, and her hair was sticking to her face. She waited for a response, but he didn't know what to say. Begging her to not dump him was a waste of breath at this point.

"I've been looking for you all day!"

"Ah, sorry. I just wasn't ready... but I understand."

"Do you?" Sakura asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Before you do this... I want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for never buying you flowers, for never holding your hand and for being so timid around you in public. I'm sure Sasuke will do all that and more for you."

"You think that Sasuke Uchiha is more likely to buy a girl flowers or show any public displays of affection than you?" Sakura asked with an amused look on her face. "You've met Sasuke right? He's our teammate that we spent our teens chasing after. Dark, broody, moody, but a good heart underneath it all..."

"I've met Sasuke!" Naruto groaned. "He's better with women than I am. He'll do everything he's supposed to as your boyfriend, I'm sure of it. He'll do everything I should have done."

"You're a real dumbass Naruto." Sakura sighed, although she was smiling. "First off, I'm pissed at you for running out last night, and normally, I would clobber you for it... but ultimately this is my fault, so I'm going to give you this _one_ pass."

"Your fault?"

"My fault." Sakura confirmed. "I spent so much of our life fawning over Sasuke and being annoyed at you. It's not outrageous for you to see me dancing with the guy I used to fawn over and freak out. And it certainly doesn't help that we haven't been together for very long."

"You can't control your heart Sakura." Naruto replied, causing Sakura to roll her eyes.

"I seriously wonder how you function sometimes. Ok Naruto, first things first... let's make sure this never happens again." Sakura grabbed the back of Naruto's head and pulled his lips against hers for a long kiss. When she pulled away, Naruto had a shocked expression on his face.

"You kind of looked like that after our first kiss." Sakura giggled.

"Why did you kiss me? I saw how happy you were dancing with Sasuke last night. You're obviously here to dump me." Naruto sputtered.

"I love you." Sakura smiled softly at Naruto. "I still can't believe how quickly it happened... but it did, and I don't regret it. I decided to give you a real shot, and you had my heart within a couple of weeks. I love being with you, and I want to be with you for a long time. So, if something like this ever happens again, you now know that I love you, and I will never cheat on you. So instead of running away and avoiding me, you could simply walk up to me, your girlfriend, and talk to me."

"But... you were dancing with Sasuke. And you seemed so happy!"

"I was dancing with Sasuke because the guy was just standing in the middle of the dance floor as stiff as a board. He's never been overly social, and he's having a tough time getting readjusted to village life. So I got him to dance so he would loosen up. Also, girls are more likely to dance with guys who are dancing with other girls. A girlfriend would do him a lot of good!"

"So you were just helping him?"

"Duh. I have a hot boyfriend of my own, why would I want Sasuke?" Sakura rolled her eyes. "As to why I was so happy... how could I not be? We spent a long time trying to chase after Sasuke, and for the longest time I thought it was going to get you killed. Yet there we all were last night, partying in a bar and having a good time. We have everything we wanted when we were kids now."

"So... I ran away for no reason then..." Naruto nervously muttered.

"You did. And if you ever do it again, you can plan on spending at least a week in the hospital courtesy of my angry fist." Sakura said in an overly sugary tone. "AND now you have to make it up to me!"

"I'll buy you flowers!" Naruto said, hoping to appease his girlfriend.

"That's a start." Sakura smiled.

"And I'll hold your hand!"

Sakura held her hand out. "Better."

For the first time, Naruto reached out and grabbed Sakura's hand, not the other way around. He gave her hand a squeeze and breathed a sigh of relief. He thought he was going to get dumped, and instead he just got told his girlfriend loves him.

"Also, I love you. I think that should count for something."

Sakura leaned into Naruto. "That's better. But you still got a long way to go bucko. I wasn't kidding when I said I checked every inch of Konoha for you today."

Naruto nervously gulped. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do to make everything up to his girlfriend, but he knew for damn sure that he wasn't going to hold back anymore. He no longer had anything to be afraid of. Still... he needed something to make everything up to her.

"What about my free pass?"

"That's what saved you from getting your ass kicked from here to Suna." Sakura chuckled.

Naruto was certainly grateful for that. He tapped his finger on his chin as he tried thinking of something that he could do to make it up.

"Did I mention I'm going to buy you flowers? Lots and lots of flowers?"

Sakura sighed. It appeared her boyfriend had a long ways to go in the romance department. Not that she minded. She was quite happy with her man.

* * *

Fin! If you liked it/hated it/had any sort of opinion on it, then feel free to chime in via review!

Until next time (which could be sooner than one would think!)

-ND


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